Seductive Knight (8 page)

So this was what the local girls were telling her about. Feelings that one would only understand through experience.

She heard a low purr resembling a cat. Then another, but this time, she realized it was coming from her own throat. And he must have liked the sound because he let go of her hand to cup the back of her head, to deepen his kiss. His tongue insisted she open her mouth—and by Jove, she did.

Ramon, a stupid neighbor, had tried to kiss her once. His tongue entered her mouth, too, but all she had felt that day was disgust. He smelled of onions, and she wanted to gag. Not like this. Gawain tasted of mint and smelled so good, like the outdoors and clean air.

Alex ran her hands on his taut shoulders and then gave him full access to her mouth.

She relaxed. Gawain took advantage. His tongue swooped in tasting her. Her body became fully awake, responding to his kiss. She must stop this. She was summoning her strength to end the kiss when Gawain left her moist parted lips and she stared at his dark long lashes. She watched as he slowly opened his eyes.

Blue. Not just an ordinary blue, but like cornflower blue. Just as she remembered them.

“Alex.” Gawain’s voice was strained, deep, and erotic.

“Gawain,” she whispered back.

“God. I…I…Jesus. I shouldn’t, but…is it really you, Alex?”

“Yes. When did you realize it’s me?”

“Your habit of scrunching your nose and your eyes.”

“What about them?”

“They’re the same shade of green the last time I looked at you.”

He remembered the color of my eyes.

“But you have an accent. So I thought it couldn’t be you. You also mentioned Baskerville and your dad being friends. Where have you been?”

“Palawan. I grew up there.”

“Pala…what?”

“It’s an Island in the Philippines.”

“Wow. All these years you lived in the Philippines.”

“Yes.”

“This is rich. Can’t believe this. Why didn’t you tell me who you were to begin with?”

Her shoulders sagged and she finally let her back relax. “I thought you knew. Edmund also said that you knew I was coming to stay with you. When you said you didn’t want me staying here, I thought it was because you hated me.”

“Hate you? Why would I hate you? Everyone was worried about you and your mom when you disappeared. Why did you just disappear like that? And where is Molly? Isn’t she with you?”

“No. Mom passed away years ago.”

“Damn, Alex. I’m sorry.” He raised his hand, then stopped. Frowning, he stuffed his hands in his pockets.

“Me, too.”

“Fuck. This is unbelievable.” Gawain took out his phone. “Tell me. Bors, Edmund, and I take it, Baskerville, know who you are.”

“Yes.”

“Excuse me.” He walked toward the window where he had stood earlier, then started dialing numbers.

Alex walked toward the bookshelf and pretended to be studying the titles. She didn’t want to, but she couldn’t help listening to what Gawain was saying.

“You’re a fucking ass, Bors.” Gawain snarled. “Why didn’t you tell me who she is? A surprise? Damn right I’m surprised. Don’t. We’re talking about Alex, dickhead.”

They were talking about her. She felt heat crawl from her chest and up to her face. A string of colorful words came out of his mouth. It was interesting, though, that he would call his brother names. Dickhead? She wondered what the word meant.

“I’ll keep an eye on her. She won’t be harmed.”

Alex glanced at Gawain. He was raking his longish hair with his fingers.

“Give my love to Taylor and kiss little Pen for me. I’ll see you Sunday. Yes, she’ll be there, too.” Gawain hung up the phone, then walked to stand in front of Alex. “Good to see you again, Alex.”

For a minute, they just stood there.

“Same here.”

“You’ve been gone too long, love.” Gawain cupped both sides of her head with his hands. He tilted her face to him. ‘I can’t believe I’m really looking at you.”

Overwhelming emotions brought tears to her eyes. Seeing Gawain made her feel as though she’d finally found a way home. So interesting, because hours ago, she was homesick.

“Oh, come on. Tears? Is it because I kissed you, or you’re too happy to see me?”

“I’m not crying because you kissed me. I didn’t cry the first time either. I’m just happy and overwhelmed.”

“You like it when I kiss you?”

“Yes—No!”

“Yes. No?”

“Oh, stop grinning.”

Gawain smiled even bigger. “You always rise to the occasion, imp.”

“I’m happy to see you. That’s why I’m crying, and also really really tired.” Lack of sleep finally caught up with her and her bones were heavy. All the tension, excitement, nervousness, not knowing what to expect all came down on top of her. God, she just wanted to lie down and close her eyes.

“You grew. How tall are you? Six eight?” He planted a kiss on her forehead.

“Ha. Ha.”

“Hey, you look asleep.”

“Told you I’m tired.”

“Sixteen hour flight will screw up your body clock. Or is it eighteen? Baby, you look pale. Did you eat?”

“Edmund suggested that we eat, but we didn’t.”

“Let’s go.”

“Where?”

“Kitchen.”

“I’m staying here whether I like it or not, right?”

“Yes. Bors told me not to let you out of my sight.”

“Why? I’m not going to run away.”

“He wants you to stick with me until he talks to Baskerville and get more facts. Now, you should eat something before you go to bed. You’ll rest better that way. If I go to bed hungry, I always sleep walk and end up in the kitchen eating whatever I can lay my hands on. You don’t want that to happen to you. Eating a whole raw onion is never good.”

“You ate a whole onion while sleep walking?”

“Yes. You don’t want to know the rest. So let’s find you something to munch on.”

“Thank you.

“Well, welcome back to the US.” Gawain shook his head again, still unable to believe the little girl he’d been wondering about was finally back. “What do you want to drink?”

“A glass of water would be nice.”

“I have soda pop, beer, tea, coffee.”

“No, thank you. Just water. Coffee makes me sick unless it’s a decaf.”

“Hmm…I don’t have a decaf. What’s the use of drinking coffee if you drink decaf. Defeats the purpose of drinking coffee.”

“Not really. If you want something hot in your stomach, decaf coffee works.”

“That’s true. All right. This way.”

“I could get lost in this house. It’s huge.”

“You should see Bors’s. Speaking of Bors. He didn’t tell me about you because he wanted to see if I’d recognize you.”

“And you didn’t.”

“And I didn’t. Here we are. Have a seat.” He pointed at the chair on the island and then opened the cupboard to get a glass.

“Do you entertain a lot?”

“No. Why?” He turned to look at Alex.

“I spotted a long table in the dining room, and your kitchen is a state-of-the-art kind. This looks like a kitchen a chef would have.”

“Nah. I figured I should have the right kind of stuff so I could cook the best food. And the only people I entertain here are my family. Cold water or not so cold?”

“Tap water is fine. Your future wife would love this kitchen.”

“Future wife?” He filled the glass with water from the faucet and then handed it to Alex.

“Uh-huh.” She took a sip.

“What made you think I didn’t have a wife?”

Alex sputtered, choking on water.

Gawain laughed. “You okay?”

“Yes. I didn’t know you’re married.”

“Why, because I’m not as handsome as my brothers?”

“No. You all possessed certain beauty that one would think your parents must be gods.”

Using the kitchen towel, he wiped the water off her chin. “Gotta tell my brothers that.”

“Thank you. So where is your wife?”

“What wife?”

“You’re…you
are
married, right?”

“Nope. Do I look like it?”

Alex shook her head. “You’re confusing me.”

Gawain laughed. “I’m not married. Just teasing you.” He glanced at her neckline. “What a very interesting necklace.”

“What?”

“Your necklace. It’s really…unique.” He leaned forward to inspect the necklace closely and studied it with great interest. His mouth was too close to her jaw, his breath stirring the few tendrils of hair that had escaped from her bun. He could have sworn she stopped breathing. “What are they?” He knew what they were, but asked anyway.

“Different types of shells. Ema collected them for me.”

Gawain listened carefully. He loved hearing her accent, but he’d already figured out that her thick accent would show when nervous. “These are beautiful.”

“Thank you.”

“Did you say Ema collected these? Who’s Ema?”

“My brother.”

“Brother?” Gawain frowned. “You’re an only child, Alex. Did Molly—”

“No. She didn’t remarry if that’s what you’re going to ask. Mom remained faithful with Dad until the end.”

Gawain walked to the pantry and took out bags of chips, cookies, and crackers. He placed them all in front of Alex. “Have some of those while I make us sandwiches.”

“Thank you.”

He opened the fridge and grabbed a block of cheese, lettuce, ham and turkey, and mayonnaise, placing them all in the counter. “Want tomatoes in your sandwich?”

“Yes, thank you.”

“So, how did Ema become your brother?”

“When we arrived in Palawan, we didn’t have a place to stay, so Nanni and Ema took us in. Then when Mom died, Nanni raised me. That’s how I gained a brother.”

He opened the cupboard, took two plates out and quickly made the sandwiches. “Did you know them prior to going to the Philippines?”

“No.”

He cut Alex’s sandwich in half. “I know you want to rest, but I’m curious about what happened to you and Molly. You two just disappeared.”

“As much as I’d like to tell you everything, I have to wait until I talk to Baskerville, Gawain.”

“I understand. Eat.”

Alex picked up half of the sandwich. “This looks so good.”

“Tastes good, too. Can you tell me more about this necklace, or does the story have to wait also?” He sat down on the chair and started eating. The necklace wasn’t long and definitely of no value, but the twinkle in Alex’s eyes at the mere mention of the necklace indicated it was priceless to her. The starfish that served as a pendant rested just below the hollow of her throat.

“Ema would give me a shell for my birthday. I turned them into this.” Alex licked the juice off her lips.

Gawain watched the pink tongue dart out. The memory of their recent kiss fired up his blood, making him sweetly uncomfortable. Shit, he wanted to kiss her again.

Fuckin’ eh. This is Alex, moron. I already kissed her once. That’s enough.

Damn. Why was he reacting to Alex this way? She’d just come back after eleven years of absence. He’d been around beautiful women, but never had his libido jumped as if he’d been incarcerated for years.

Ignoring his carnal thoughts, he took big bites of his sandwich. What the hell was wrong with him? Good fucking God. In a matter of minutes, Alex’s presence had turned his mind into a riot of confused blob. He opened the bags of chips and dipped his hand inside. “Chips?”

“Sure.” Alex peaked inside the bag and then took a handful of chips.

He couldn’t stop watching her eat. If she licked her lips one more time, he wouldn’t be responsible for his next action. Deciding it would be better to keep distance between them, he stood up in a hurry. “You sure you don’t want real food?”

“These
are
real.”

“I mean
real
food. Like spaghetti and French bread, steak and potatoes. Rice and chicken. Something like that.”

“Maybe later. Thank you, though.” Alex smiled.

Gawain’s cock throbbed.

Shit.

Gawain noticed Alex’s primness. She didn’t used to be that way. One would think she went to the School of Manners for young Misses. If the place even existed.

“Nanni and Ema. Were they good to you?”

“Very good. They took us in without question, shared their home, food, and loved us. I am what I am today because of them.”

“Glad to hear that.”

Alex touched her necklace. “Nanni and Ema are my family now. I’ll go back to them as soon as I talk to Baskerville and figure things out.”

“That’s the plan?”

“Yes. I wouldn’t have come back here if it weren’t for the promise that I gave Mom.”

He shouldn’t ask, but his curiosity won. “Did you ever consider coming back at all if you didn’t make a promise to Molly?”

“Honestly? No. I guess it was my way of avoiding what happened. Also, I am happy in the Philippines. I live on an island, a paradise.”

Gawain nodded. He wondered if she thought of him from time to time, because he’d never actually stopped thinking about her. “Home is the Philippines now.”

“Yes. I can’t imagine living anywhere else.”

“All right. You just got here, so let’s not talk about your going back to the Philippines right now.” Gawain opened a drawer, took out a small knife, and cut small pieces of cheese. He took two Ritz crackers, then sandwiched the cheese in between. He handed it to Alex. “Eat.”

“Thank you.” She took a bite and closed her eyes.

Gawain noticed how long her eyelashes were. Even without mascara, they were thick and curled up a bit. “Hey, don’t fall asleep on the table. If you do, I’ll carry you like a sack of potatos.”

“Funny. You live here alone?”

“Yes. Why?” Gawain made more cracker sandwiches. They shared the plate. He watched Alex eat, but he even found the way she chewed her food sexy. Sweet tooth!

“I just want to make sure no woman would cut my hair while I’m sleeping. Aside from my mom and sister, and the women that Bors asks me to let stay, I’ve never brought a special one here.”

“Why?”

“Haven’t found the one worth cooking for.”

“Maybe the right time hasn’t arrived yet.” Alex finished her sandwich, leaving nothing on her plate. “That was really good.”

“Thanks. You haven’t tried my barbecue ribs. Man, I make a kick-ass sauce to die for.”